A crucial win for Shizuoka Sangyo over Bunnys today leaves them three points clear of their rivals in second place in the West Division. Kanno Mie and Hirano Asami were the scorers, with Hirano scoring her fifth of the season. Bunnys have played a game more than Shizuoka Sangyo, and will almost certainly need to win both of their remaining fixtures, starting with their match against the JFA Academy on September 6th. Shizuoka Sangyo play division champions Cerezo Osaka Sakai on the same day.

Nagoya's hopes of promotion were all but extinguished today as the JFA Academy make a late charge up the table. Kitagawa Hikaru, again back from her loan spell to Urawa, scored twice in the first half to set the Academy up, with Okuma Rana and Ueda Yuriko adding two more before the hour mark. Koike Ayano scored her first league goal for the club, and an own goal twelve minutes from time made the final scoreline more respectable.

The division champions returned to winning ways against Kumamoto today, who find themselves increasingly in danger of relegation. All three goals came in the first half, both Morinaka Hina and Hashimitsu Kyoka scored their first of the season for the hosts, with Hashimitsu scoring on her first appearance for the team this season. Kimura Eri had scored an equaliser but it wasn't enough and her side have significant work to do to catch the teams above them.

Norrdea Hokkaido twice took the lead in this game, only for struggling Tsukuba to twice equalise and take home a point to keep their survival hopes alive. Narumi Wakana scored early, her fourth goal in four games but recent Sendai University graduate Ojima Hitomi replied on fifty-nine minutes, her first goal for her new team. Hoshiyama Ayaka restored the Hokkaido side's lead and it looked like they had done enough to keep pace with the two division leaders, only to see Imanaka Yuri score her first goal for Tsukuba in additional time.

Yokohama easily overcame the near neighbours Yamato to move back on top of the East division, and at the same time have made it very unlikely that Yamato will now challenge for the playoffs. Challenge League top scorer Yoshida Mizuki moved onto ten goals for the season with the opener, and own goal doubled the lead after thirty-five minutes and Tanaka Yui fired in the third a few minutes before half time. Yamato substitute Shigaura Rena, only just moved into the top team in the past few days, scored to reduce the arrears in the final minute of the first half. In the second half the visitors successfully held their hosts at arms length to take top spot.

Niigata University of Health and Welfare 1 - 1 Tokiwagi Gakuen High School
(Attendance: 57)

This match was played on August 30th

Tokiwagi Gakuen must wait another week to claim their place in the Challenge League playoffs after the NUHW fought back to claim a draw, Takahashi Miyuki scoring her ninth goal of the season to equalise Takahashi Anna's tenth-minute opener, her first ever league goal.

Tokiwagi Gakuen can guarantee a top-two finish with a win over Yamato on September 6th, but a victory for Yokohama against Norddea Hokkaido a day earlier would also be enough for the schoolgirls to progress. The NUHW host Tsukuba.